Monday, July 28, 2014

In January of this year (oh and doesn't our snowy winter world look so inviting on this late July day ...)

we received an initial inquiry from a gentleman by the name of Timothy.

This is an excerpt from his initial email: "I am looking for a
male wedding band. I am fortunate enough to have come across your website and
cannot believe the degree of beauty and uniqueness that your wedding rings
convey. They truly are artistic masterpieces. After seeing your craftsmanship
and reading about your backgrounds and small business, I am certain I would
love to order a ring through you. I currently reside in Baltimore, Maryland and
work in public health with a particular focus on climate change/sustainable
development issues. Naturally, your business model of sustainable lifestyles
(solar power, small-scale farming, living off the land) and rings that are
harvested from nature really resonated with me and would provide a very deep
connection to my own life philosophy and goals.

Meet Timothy and Lindsay ~ a few years ago on a visit to Ireland

And on their engagement weekend visiting one of their favorite spots: The Oregon Coast

Getting to know Tim and Lindsay and working with Timothy on his ring was a joyful experience for David and I. In mid March Timothy wrote:

"The
ring arrived in the mail today. First of all, it is absolutely GORGEOUS. The
overall design and intricate details in the wood are extraordinary and are more
than I could have hoped for. It is exactly what I envisioned! Secondly, it fits
absolutely perfect! I have to admit, I was a little worried about the sizing,
but it could not fit any better.

Thank
you so much again for your time, effort and courtesies throughout this process.
You two have been an absolute joy to work with, and it is amazing to me that
there are still people in this world who operate their business practice under
the assumption of trust. I think that alone speaks volumes to the type of
people you are, and my only wish was that there were more people in this world
like you. Lindsey and I will certainly keep in touch, and I hope you do the
same as well. We wish you nothing but the best in the future, and hope life
brings you many joys. Thank you again and I will be in touch."

Then another wonderful email came to us in June.

"I just wanted to write
you to say hello and share some feedback regarding the beautiful ring that you
and David made for me. Lindsey and I had our marriage celebration the past two
weekends in Baltimore and Milwaukee and it was the first time we have seen many
of our family and friends in quite a while. Everyone that saw my ring were
blown away at how beautiful and unique the ring was; they had no idea that such
an idea for a wedding band even existed. After telling the story of how they
are individually hand-crafted only added to peoples’ amazement. They raved
about the artistic quality and thought it was such a neat story. I too continue
to gaze at it with the same amount of excitement and astonishment every time I
put it on. Anyways, I just thought I would pass along the extremely positive
feedback that I have received the past couple weeks regarding the work that you
and David both do."

Our new friends with the beautiful smiles; Happily Married

"Timothy, when
people like you and Lindsay come into our lives and share yourselves with us,
it enriches our lives tremendously! David really enjoyed making your
ring and felt a strong connection to you through the making. It`s been an absolute joy talking with you from your very first email Timothy. We
wish you and Lindsay good health and happiness and decades of dreams coming true!"

She and her beloved; David expressed an interest in commissioning a pair of wedding rings
and asked about our schedule. Their wedding was set for the first weekend in
July and they were writing from Indiana. They had some initial ideas involving
juniper heartwood and possibly an inlay in one of the rings.

After a few months of most enjoyable correspondence, in April of 2013 (my) David created Rebecca and David's wedding rings. Rebecca had decided on a single spiraled inlay of Myrtle wood. For his ring; David was envisioning an irregular knot on Juniper heartwood.

On May 15th we received this email from Rebecca and David.

"We
are so delighted to tell you that we received the rings today! Here they
are resting up on the instrument shelf.

We
have tried them on and we are so so so pleased. They are so elegant and really
more beautiful than we could have imagined.

Now I can't wait to send you images
from the big day! We also like the clever folder that you sent them in. We are
considering including a "ring warming" in our wedding ceremony, in
which the rings are passed among the guest to absorb well-wishes, and this
might actually be a perfect way to pass them too.

Thank
you for everything, and we will be in touch!"

We had another great email from Rebecca and David in early October 2013 along with some lovely photographs. (Photo Credit www.photoisforlovers.com)

Rebecca writes: "We
had a beautiful and moving ceremony in July, and the rings were at the center
of it! We did the ring warming as I mentioned before, using your card to pass
them (secured with a little twine, see below). Here is the text we wrote for
that part of the ceremony (read by my aunt and uncle who graciously opened the
proceedings):

"Later in this ceremony, Rebecca and David will exchange
rings. But before they do, we ask that you, their community, take part by
blessing the symbols they will wear. As you receive the rings, wish Rebecca and
David happiness and a meaningful life together, then pass them on. [Begins
passing] David and Rebecca’s rings are made from juniper heartwood. Juniper is
known for its remarkable longevity and ability to thrive in challenging places.
From today forward, those rings will act as constant, quiet reminders of their
love and commitment, and of your hope and support."

Thank you and David for making these things of beauty that
we now get to have in our lives every day!"

In May (2014) Rebecca contacted us about sending her ring back for some TLC and a refinishing after a bit of a mishap ~ sometimes a ring needs attention sooner than later and we are always happy to help!

Here's a pic of Becca's refinished ring and she writes:"Received the ring
yesterday. It looks beautiful, as I had no doubt it would!"